Friends
by Hiei's phoenix girl
Summary: What happens when Hiei is badly hurt just after he thinks he was betrayed by his best friends? Full summary based on previous event's chapters at the top of each chapter. PG-13 for violence and adult themes. Completed!
1. Default Chapter: Betrayal

Friends  
  
By puffdragongirl  
  
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho and all of its characters, etc. aren't mine, so don't sue me. But Kiru and all of the other characters that aren't from the show or magna belong to me. You can send me comments at puffdragongirl@yahoo.com.  
  
- 'Ahh. What a nice day,' Mukuro sighs as she watches Hiei train her troops. 'And the view couldn't get any better,' she purrs as she watches Hiei's exposed chest. He looks the same as always, except for the fact that he now is taller, standing at about five foot three. He usually wears a dark powder blue tank top with varying styles of black pants, along with a black cape with a red inner lining, but today, because he is drilling the soldiers himself, he is just in his favorite black sweatpants.  
  
'I couldn't agree more.' Mukuro looks up and sees Kurama approach, also watching Hiei with interest. Hmm.He's in his fox form today. She had invited him to stay with them after his mother had died suddenly of an aneurysm last year. He was now in charge of her medical and spy units, which had vastly improved in the past nine months he had been there.  
  
'Hey Kurama,' She greets sullenly, 'I guess you haven't had any luck yet, either?' Both of them have discovered that the other loves Hiei just as much. So since Hiei hasn't responded to their advances in the last six months, they have decided to work together, with the hope that one of them will succeed. She shakes her head, 'I know I haven't.'  
  
'No,' Kurama confirms, 'I haven't had any luck either.' He sits down next to Mukuro and runs a hand through his silver locks. 'I'm starting to think that he doesn't even KNOW what attraction is.' She had become almost as close a friend as Hiei in the past nine months he had lived with them.  
  
'No kidding,' Mukuro agrees as she watches Hiei scold yet another soldier for screwing up something, 'We've tried everything from touching to stalking.except outright frilly things, of course.'  
  
'And those would probably get us chopped in half.' Kurama says as he watches Hiei take flight on his wings to demonstrate an aerial attack to the unit of flyers under his command. He remembered how Hiei had been scared to use them at first. Not to mention that he wanted to cut them off at first. Ha! Who would have thought Hiei was vain. He had hated the initial dark green color of his wings, which, since then, had turned black- a color Hiei favored more. He had quickly mastered aerial combat and was exploring and combining techniques to form an even more deadly array of techniques to use.  
  
'Ahg!' they heard Hiei yell after he had landed and watched the division proceed to fail at the new attack, 'Just go back to the castle!' He glares at them. 'You're all pathetic today!' The soldiers retreat back to their quarters. 'K'so! I didn't think that you could get worse with training.' He looks in their direction after retracting his wings, 'Did you enjoy watching them being pathetic?'  
  
'How did you know we were here, Hiei?' Kurama asks. That's funny; I was masking my energy the whole time.  
  
Hiei shrugged. 'Hn.'  
  
Hiei's power must have greatly increased since we last sparred if he can sense my energy when it is being masked. Maybe I should test him. 'Well than Hiei,' Mukuro suggested, 'why not show me what you're trying to train my pathetic soldiers?' She walked towards him, smirking in anticipation of the enjoyment she gets from making Hiei sweat. A thing, in her opinion, that made him even sexier. Like that's even possible. He's as sexy as they come.  
  
Hiei chuckled, sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. 'Very well then.' Hiei prepared for battle, unfurling his wings. Kurama smiled at the sight, imagining himself doing lewd things to those wings. Damn it! Can one second go by when I DON'T think about having sex with him!!!?  
  
'With pleasure.' Mukuro says. She charges Hiei, who quickly takes to the air. He avoids another attack, and summons a small fireball and throws it at Mukuro.  
  
'Shit.' Mukuro says as she senses the amount of energy in that one small fireball. Damn, when did Hiei get this powerful? She is unable to dodge and is sent flying into a tree with that one small attack, shocking all present. Some of the soldiers who still lingered in the field stared in sheer shock at their commander's easy defeat.  
  
Kurama stares with mouth agape as he analyzes Hiei's class level according to that attack. Gods, with that small release of energy, he reads at a level surpassing even Mukuro's power, let alone mine.better stay on his good side.  
  
Mukuro forces herself to sit up and gasps at the pain from the wounds Hiei has inadvertently afflicted on her with this latest attack. Jeeze, now I know how my pillows feel. She has been punching her pillows lately with the frustration of her ignored attentions.  
  
Hiei approaches her and offers his hand. 'You okay, Mukuro-sama?' he asks with genuine concern and regret in his voice, "I didn't mean to hurt you." A light blush covers his cheeks.  
  
She takes his hand and smiles. 'Hiei,' she proudly says as he pulls her up, 'you don't have to call me 'sama' any more.' She winces and leans on his whipcord strength. 'I think it's clear that you outclass me, and besides,' she smiles again, 'we're friends.'  
  
'Yes,' a small smile lights his face, almost bringing tears to both Mukuro's and Kurama's eyes, 'friends.'  
  
'Damn, Hiei,' Kurama says as he approaches them, 'since when did you surpass S-class?'  
  
'Kurama,' He says, frowning and picking up Mukuro, 'it isn't important right now.' He starts to fly towards the castle. 'Getting Mukuro's wounds bound is,' he calls back to Kurama.  
  
'Hai,' Kurama agrees, 'you're right.' He follows Hiei, running to catch up. 'Bring her to your room and I'll take care of the rest. All of the bandages are in there anyway.' - An hour later Mukuro is resting in Hiei's room with Kurama and Hiei.  
  
'I'm going to go get more bandages and medical supplies from town,' Hiei says. 'I'll be back soon.' Hiei leaves with a warning to rest.  
  
'I can't believe I let Hiei's power go without test for so long,' she says, sitting up. She is wrapped in bandages up to the tops of her breasts and down to the bottom of her ribs; otherwise, all she is covered with is a blanket. 'No wonder he hasn't noticed us. He's probably been too busy training.' She looks down, 'Now that he's surpassed S, there's probably no chance at all for us.'  
  
'Yes,' Kurama agrees, 'I can't even remember the last time we even talked for a while. And I don't even need to mention the fact that I haven't had sex with anyone for over 300 years.'  
  
'Yeah,' Mukuro agrees, 'I'm worse, I haven't had a romp for over 600 years.'  
  
'Well, why not- end the wait?' Kurama suggests, sitting on the bed near her.  
  
'You mean.' Mukuro's eyes widen at the thought. She smiles.  
  
'If we can't have Hiei.' Kurama leans towards Mukuro so that their lips are almost touching.  
  
'At least we can have each other, surrounded by his scent.' They close the distance and kiss. - Some time later they lay tangled in the sheets, sated.  
  
'I missed that.' Mukuro sighs and rubs her nose against Kurama's.  
  
'Me too.' Kurama licks her nose, playful and almost senseless with the afterglow of climax.  
  
Suddenly the door opens and a gasp is heard. They look up, mortified to see Hiei. He has dropped the boxes of supplies he was carrying and looks shocked as his mouth works as if searching for a way to speak.  
  
Damn! What do I do now? Mukuro thinks as she tries to explain the situation without making it seem like they are a couple. Like that's possible. She mentally groans.  
  
Kurama quickly searches for something to say. Meaning to say something to explain this less than explainable situation, 'Care to join us?' is what really came out.  
  
Hiei's eyes widen and he quickly steps back, looking suspiciously like a deer in a car's headlights.  
  
'Hiei, wait!' Mukuro cries. But Hiei has already seen enough. He softly closes the door, and they hear him softly walk away. - 'Damn!' Mukuro yells, ' "Care to join us?" you idiot!' She hits him with the pillow. 'Now he thinks we're a couple!'  
  
'Stop!' Kurama catches the pillow, 'What is hitting me going to do about it?'  
  
'Nothing, but it makes me feel better.'  
  
'Well, maybe we should just tell him.'  
  
'Can't hurt. We've tried everything else.'  
  
'Tomorrow morning.'  
  
'Yes. We'll meet in the dojo.' - I can't believe this. Not telling me, then doing it in my bed! It's not that I'm not happy for them- they're great people and deserve each other- it's just that I thought they were my friends. Hiei laughs bitterly at himself. Guess no one but 'her' can trust the Forbidden Child with secrets. Guess it's back to 'them' and 'me' again.  
  
'Hiei-sama! Hiei-sama!' a messenger calls.  
  
'What is it?' Hiei asks, not feeling particularly social. Now what? Do they want to try and make me feel included again? Tough luck to them, then.  
  
'We are being invaded on the north border,' the messenger reports. 'What are your orders?'  
  
'Tell the troops to prepare for battle. I'll be there in five minutes.'  
  
Hiei grabs his katana from its perch on the wall of the dojo. He unsheathes the blade and turns it so he can see his reflection in the blade. His right fist begins to smoke. Good, I need a good battle to vent out in. He sheathes the blade and hooks the sheath to his belt. He closes his eyes and focuses for a second, then looks up and walks out the door, grabbing his cloak on the way out. Mercy on the fools who challenge me today. - 'WHAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!' Mukuro screeched, bringing Kurama, in his human form, running to her chamber.  
  
'What's wrong, Mukuro?' Kurama asks, breathless from the run.  
  
'Hiei left to deal with a border skirmish alone, with just his troops,' she groans and holds out a note to Kurama. 'And he brought his katana with him.' She buries her head in her hands. 'We've lost his trust.'  
  
'I was afraid this would happen,' Kurama says sadly as he reads the note. It reads simply: Mukuro and Kurama. Went out to deal with the problem. Have fun. Be back later. Hiei. 'It was hard enough to gain it the first time. Just imagine how hard it will be this time.'  
  
They both look down and see a single tear gem on the floor. It's black.  
  
'Hiei.' - The northern border is a battle zone.  
  
Hiei's troops are winning though.  
  
Well, to be truthful, Hiei is winning. He has sliced, burned, and done almost every painful thing imaginable to his enemies. Now, all but one enemy has been killed, wounded, or simply surrendered to Hiei's power.  
  
All.  
  
But.  
  
One.  
  
But one can make a difference.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
And so one did. - Suddenly a chill ran down both of their spines.  
  
'Did you feel that?' Mukuro asks Kurama.  
  
'Yes,' he asks, 'let's just hope it isn't what I think it is.' - 'Mukuro-sama.' a battered messenger appears in the hall where she and Kurama were waiting.  
  
'What is it?' she asks, almost pouncing on the messenger. 'What's happened?'  
  
'The battle was won with only light casualties. The troops are on the way back,' he reports.  
  
'No you dolt!' Mukuro yells, 'How's Hiei?'  
  
'Hiei-sama. h-he was.' he stammers looking down, 'badly injured in the fight by a sharp shooter while he was flying.' He looks up, teary eyed. 'He's.'  
  
Tears form in Mukuro's eyes. 'No.anything but that.' Tears stream down her face. 'Kurama.' Kurama is speechless. He is also streaming tears. 'He.he just. can't be.Kurama.please say.it- isn't.' she collapses into his arms and wails in pain and sorrow. Kurama buries his face in her hair and silently cries with all the conviction of Mukuro's wails.  
  
'He is mortally wounded.' - That's the end of Part One. Your comments will decide what happens next, so make sure you e-mail me your comments. Thanks. Again my e-mail is puffdragongirl@yahoo.com. 


	2. Friends Chapter 2: Sorrow

Friends- Chapter 2  
  
--- Okay in the last chapter was mortally wounded in a border skirmish after finding Mukuro and Kurama in his bed. Well. having sex in his bed to be more accurate. Let's not forget that they love him. Oh well, onward with the tale. Standard disclaimers on all but Kiru, who's mine. --- Kurama is sitting at a desk, his head in his hands. I can't believe this.how could he get himself hurt like this. He looks over his shoulder to the bed in the middle of the room. It is occupied by Hiei's still form.  
  
*He is mortally wounded*  
  
The thought causes a sob to wrench his body and tears fall once more. He lowers his head to his arms and sobs into his robes. Why did this have to happen to him? Why can't it be me there? Why? His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the door opening. An equally disheveled and teary Mukuro steps in, her head down, obviously trying to cling to some form of composure.  
  
'Well,' she sniffles in between sobs, 'I called them.' She looks up and Kurama sees that she can't control her tears any better than he can. 'They said they'd be here soon.' she trails off as her gaze is drawn to Hiei's battered form. God, no. She loses her composure, collapses to the floor beside Hiei's bed and buries her face her arms next to Hiei's heavily bandaged chest, and wails as if her heart was being pulled from her body.  
  
I can't blame her; my heart was gone as soon as I heard, myself. He closes his eyes and reviews Hiei's injuries again. Torn wing- just needs stitching. Cut on face- just needs time. Back-barbed, flesh ripping arrow through his chest within an inch of his heart that pored blood like water from a sink. Sobs claimed him again as he came to the obvious. 'Mortal.' -- It was so dark. This place.  
  
.Yet somehow. it welcomed him.  
  
Him? Who?  
  
All he.who was he? All he could remember was pain. Pain and betrayal.  
  
But that was 'There.' But where was 'There?' Where was 'Here' by the way?  
  
He closed his eyes. 'Here' wasn't 'There.' That was all that mattered.  
  
'Here,' no one could hurt him.  
  
But there was one thing wrong. One question that rang in his mind.  
  
But. what about. 'her?' --- 'Kiru.'  
  
That one sound wrenched both Mukuro and Kurama up from their sobs.  
  
'Did you just?' Mukuro asked, wonder in her eyes. Could he really pull through this!?  
  
'Hear that?' Kurama finished for her. 'Yes, I did.' A small smile lit his face. Maybe he's not gone after all. He thought for a moment. 'But who or what is "Kiru?"' -- A female apparition is racing at inhuman speeds towards the fortress of the Makai Lady Mukuro. She had been running ever since she felt the sharp pain in her chest a half hour ago. She knew it was 'him.' She just knew it.  
  
I'm coming, just hang on. Hiei.  
  
-- Yusuke gazed upon his two demon friends : one barely alive, and one looking as if he could die. He looked at his human friend, Kuwabara, and the koorime, Yukina, he held in his arms. Same thing here-tears. Yukina had already tried to heal her brother's wounds. She wasn't able to repair the extensive damage caused by the arrow. She had explained that the construction of the arrowhead was made to cause it to twist and grip and rip flesh into shreds. And that was why a single arrow could bring him down.  
  
'Oh, Oniisan,' Yukina sobs, dropping tear gems on the floor. 'Don't leave us yet.' She closed her eyes and remembered the day two years ago when he had told her. -- flashback-- It had been her birthday, well the night of her birthday and she was in the garden outside of the late Genkai's temple. She had been counting another year's worth of tear gems, as was her habit, when a black tear gem on a silver chain had fallen into her handful of white gems.  
  
'Nani.?' She had put her gems down onto the snowy ground and picked up the black gem. It was exquisite- dark with what seemed like a black fire burning within it. She gasped when she realized what it meant. 'Oniisan.' she breathed. She turned around and, there, leaning against a tree, was a small figure dressed in black.  
  
The figure raised its lowered head and, although the figure's face was still shadowed, she could see his small smile. 'Imouto-chan.' he stepped into the light.  
  
The koorime cried out in happiness and ran into her long-lost brother's opened arms. She cried happy tears as she brushed his spiky black hair with that shocking white starburst. 'Onii-chan,' she whispered. Looking into the crimson eyes that matched hers.  
  
'Imouto-chan,' Hiei had whispered, kissing her cheek, 'Happy Birthday.'  
  
'Happy Birthday, Hiei-chan, Happy Birthday.' -- end flashback-- Yukina couldn't take it anymore- the color of the blood seeping through the bandages was too like their eyes- she tore herself away from Kuwabara's arms and ran to Hiei's bedside. She buried her head in her hands and cried her heart out.  
  
'What are we going to do?' Kuwabara asked to no one in particular.  
  
'Oi! Can't we just share our reiki with him?' Yusuke asked Kurama.  
  
'No, I already tried that and had to stop,' Kurama said, his eyes taking on a haunted look, 'he would have died if I kept going.'  
  
'But won't this kill him too?' Mukuro cried out, tired of just crying. 'There must be something, anything, we can do!' She runs to Kurama who holds her in his arms and comforts her.  
  
Unnoticed a lithe, dark figure had silently slipped into the room after overhearing their conversation.  
  
'There is.' -- The end!  
  
Just kidding. I'll get the next chapter up on Monday or Tuesday, depending on the feedback I get. Okay? Thanks to those who reviewed before. Please continue and keep reading. 


	3. Friends Chapter 3:Conflict

Friends- Chapter 3 Okay, chapter three is up. Last chapter was just the arrival of the Reikai Tantei and the description of hoplessness, crying, etc. And a new character was introduced. So onwards. Hiei will read the disclaimers for me.  
  
Hiei: All standard disclaimers apply. Except on Kiru who is MINE! NO ONE ELSE'S! HANDS OFF!   
  
Me: . Guess that's good. She is based on me after all. Okay. enjoy! O_O* -- Everyone turns from their conversation around Kurama and looks to see the figure of a slight female youkai standing next to Hiei's bedside near a shocked Yukina. She has spiky white hair with black tips. It falls to the side to slightly before her shoulders and is cropped to the top of her nape. Two long white tresses fall to the middle of her chest and look as if they were dipped in ink. Her eyes are the same blood-red as Hiei's and her skin is several shades paler than Hiei's. She wears a light blue headband with tails that fall to the middle of her back around her forehead and a turtle-necked, sleeveless tunic of the same color along with black trousers and black boots similar to Hiei's. Black, fingerless gloves cover her arms from knuckle to just below her elbow. She caresses his face with a slim, gloved hand.  
  
'Get away from Hiei!' an enraged Kurama yells as he draws his rose whip and snaps it into action. The figure cocks its head to the side and looks at it with only mild interest before raising the same hand that had caressed Hiei with a gentle touch and disintegrating the whip with black Makai fires. Kurama looks at the charred remains on the floor and in his hand, shocked speechless.  
  
'Now then,' the demoness says, slightly irritated, 'may I speak before being attacked?' She gives them a lethal glare when they begin to surround her warily. She sighs and decides to ignore them since they obviously are unreasonable. She turns to the koorime at her side. 'Hello, your name is Yukina, correct?' she asks with a friendly smile, sensing the bond between her and Hiei. 'Hiei's little sister, no?'  
  
'H-hai.' she hesitantly says. Who is this woman and why do I sense something familiar about her? Yukina searches her memory of the conversations she had had with Hiei concerning his life.  
  
'Yukina-san!' Kuwabara scolds, 'Don't talk to that slime-bag!' Kuwabara starts to advance, gathering his energy. He is about to draw his spirit sword when Kiru turns around at him.  
  
The now scowling figure rolls her eyes and pins him down with a cold glare. K'so, how do you put up with these idiots? 'Baka,' she turns back to Yukina. 'My name is Kiru, an. acquaintance of Hiei. He has told me much about you, Yukina,' She quickly glanced worriedly towards Hiei. 'But I don't have time for small talk. Would you please talk some sense into your friends out and help me with this?' Hold on, just a little longer, Hiei.  
  
'No way in hell am I leaving my heir with some crazy bitch like you!' Mukuro steps forward, having reached the end of her patience. 'I'll stay right here, thank you very much!' She reveals her considerable youki so it can be sensed. I'll show her for touching him.I'll show her good.  
  
Kiru growls at Mukuro, baring small fangs similar to Hiei's, summoning up her own torrent of youki. 'I don't have time for this.' She summons up a wall of black Makai fires and isolates herself and Yukina in the circle.  
  
Yukina has stepped back from her and looks like a frightened rabbit. 'Please, d-don't hurt them,' she whispers. How do I know her?  
  
'I'm not going to,' Kiru says, dropping the ice that covers her emotions, 'I really just want to help.' She drops down to her knees beside Hiei and looks up at Yukina. 'Please, believe me, and help me.' I hate being so vulnerable, but I will to help you, Hiei.  
  
Yukina, who is shocked at the love, sorrow, and pain in Kiru's crimson eyes nods and tells her friends that it is okay. The others drop their guard and the fire recedes. Yusuke approaches Kiru and in his usual leader-ish way and says, 'Oi, gomen for the bad welcome. I'm Yusuke, the guy you death- glared is Kuwabara, red over there is Kurama, and the lady is Mukuro-sama,' he extends a hand in greeting and makes a cheesy grin.  
  
Kiru looks at it suspiciously and hesitantly takes it, 'Kiru,' she introduces herself, now please sit over there and listen very carefully.' She looks at Hiei, a frown clouding her expression. 'I'll need all the help I can get.' -- Okay, that's all for this chapter. The next chapter is going up today too, but I wanted them to stand-alone because there is a time lag. Thanks for reviewing and please continue.  
  
Hiei: MINE!!! She is MINE! (He chases after some fan guys with his katana, clutching a chibi Kiru doll in one hand.)  
  
Me: Hiei.please don't kill them. I'm running out of places for the bodies. Hopefully this will end better. See you next chapter.I hope. (watching Hiei glare at fan guys with 'shifty-eyes' and hold the doll tightly to his chest)  
  
Hiei: MINE!!!! 


	4. Friends Chapter 4: The Ritual

Friends- Chapter 4  
  
Me: Okay, this is me from inside the fort that Hiei is making me stay in.  
  
Hiei: Must kill all fan guys.(glaring at fan guys).  
  
Me; Oooo-kaaaay. Hiei, why don't you read the disclaimers and the summary for me.  
  
Hiei: Yes, Kiru. (reading from a paper) Standard disclaimers apply. Except on Kiru who is MINE!!! MINE!!! ALL MINE!!!! HA HA HA!. ahem. Last chapter Kiru, who is MINE, showed up and all my idiotic 'friends' tried to kill her, ending with everything being okay, except for the fact that I'm still dying. (sees fan guys approaching) Die!!! (Runs off with katana)  
  
Me: Okay, enjoy. -- Everyone is in a circle around Hiei, except for Kiru and Yukina, who are on opposite sides of Hiei's bedside. Kiru has given Yukina a handful of crushed dried herbs to put in a basin of water, along with an oddly powered towel, to be soaked in the mixture, that she keeps for herself.  
  
She hesitates and looks up at Hiei's friends before removing her gloves. Everyone gasps at the sight of her hands and lower arms. On each of her hands there is half of a phoenix tattoo with tails trailing down her arms. But over those tails there are horrible scar lines that look like cauterized sword slashes at quarter-inch to half-inch intervals. She closes her eyes and says nothing about them as she takes the bowl from Yukina's loose grip.  
  
'Oi,' Yusuke says, drawing attention away from Kiru's scars, 'why are we in a circle?' He looks around and sees his friends. Kurama is looking suspiciously at the water; Mukuro is glaring at Kiru's back and it looks like she is mumbling to herself. Kuwabara was talking softly to Yukina, who is now unwinding Hiei's bandages by order of Kiru.  
  
Kiru turns around, mouthing a 'thank you' to Yusuke, wet towel in hand and says, 'It's part of the ritual.' She turns back to the basin. I hope I'm strong enough to do this. A frown clouds her delicate features as she worries the rag before moving it around in the water again.  
  
Yukina senses her doubt and unease, and tries to ease her tension. 'So Kiru- san,' she asks, continuing to unwrap the bandages, 'what is this ritual about?' Part of her really wants to know, this would be a welcome addition to her growing collection of healing techniques. 'Where does it originate from?'  
  
Kiru looks up and smiles, gratitude in her voice, 'It is a technique I picked up on a mission I took with Hiei years ago.' She squeezes out the excess water on the rag and places it on Hiei's now unwrapped wound. 'I hoped I would never have to use it.' She sighs. 'I don't know if I'm strong enough.'  
  
Yukina smiles and says, 'I'm sure you are, Kiru-san.' She reaches for her hand and squeezes it. 'I'm sure Oniisan would say the same.'  
  
'Since we're exploring this "ritual," ' Kurama says, 'what are those herbs?'  
  
'They are herbs from my garden,' Kiru answers. She pulls a full leaf of the herb from the pouch and gives it to Kurama. 'You can investigate all you want. It's just a simple healing herb.'  
  
He looks at it and smiles, 'Nice cross-breeding.' He pockets the herb for further investigation. 'Take care of him.'  
  
Kiru smiles back, appreciating the support. She looks at Hiei's friends, 'Please join your hands and close your eyes.' They obey. 'Good, now make a circle of youki.' They look up questioningly, 'Just send your youki into those next to you.' They do and a glowing circle is formed around them.  
  
'Yukina,' Kiru says to her, 'Take your hands and place them over Hiei's Jagan.' She does. 'Now release your healing powers into it.'  
  
Yukina does so and feels the power drain from her. Hiei groans once.  
  
Kiru watches as the energy changes colors and sees the Jagan open. She says, ' Stop!'  
  
They immediately stop. They watch as Kiru unties her bandanna, 'Don't stop me, not for anything.' She throws it away and they see that she has a Jagan.  
  
'You..' Kurama starts to say.  
  
'Yes, I'm a Jaganshi,' she says, 'Now don't let anyone stop me.' She opens her Jagan, it is the same purple color and shape as Hiei's, just more feminine. 'I won't lie, this is his last hope.' I won't fail you, Hiei. Just believe in me. She closes her eyes and enters his mind. -- Kiru, I can feel you. Hiei thinks, more alert than before. Don't do this.  
  
I don't have a choice, Hiei. Kiru answer floats back. We promised. At least this way.  
  
Kiru, don't waste yourself on me! Hiei calls to her.  
  
Hiei. You can yell at me later. Promise me you will. Onegai. Kiru mentally begs.  
  
Kiru.I promise. Hiei sends to her.  
  
Ai shiteru. -- Back in the room, everyone has nervously gathered in a corner of the room as they watch Kiru and Hiei in their catatonic-like state.  
  
'How long will this take?' Kuwabara asks.  
  
'Who knows?' Yusuke answers, 'Hell if I do.'  
  
'All we can do is wait.' Kurama says, looking at his friends. 'The question is, for how long.'  
  
'Too long if you ask-.' Mukuro is cut off as she senses Kiru's youki tense.  
  
'What.?' Kurama says, but before he can say anything else, a blood-curdling scream of pain from Kiru echoes throughout the room as Hiei jerks up to awareness on the bed. -- Me: Cliffhanger anyone? Sorry I'm so evil, but too bad. Tune in on Sunday or Monday for the next chapter.  
  
Hiei: (looking up from beating up a fan guy) Yeah! Kiru and I will-  
  
Me: SHHHH! Do you want to give it away?  
  
Hiei: Sorry. (He continues beating up fan guy.  
  
Me: Thanks for your upcoming reviews. See you later! 


	5. Friends Chapter 5: Sacrifice?

Friends- Chapter 5  
  
Me: Okay; now Hiei is keeping me locked to him with handcuffs. So I'll just give him the summary to read to you. Standard disclaimers as always.  
  
Hiei: Ahem!. Last chapter, Kiru started the ritual, but not before she revealed her scars and a few questions surrounding the ritual and her past. It ended with me awakening and her. I can't say it. too painful. (Tears well up in his eyes.)  
  
Me: Oh for Pete's sake.It ended with Hiei being awakened and Kiru screaming out in pain.  
  
Fan guys: NOOOOO!!! (Crying)  
  
Hiei: NOOO!! Hey, wait a minute. You guys aren't allowed to say 'NOOO' for Kiru. Die! (Chasing them with me trailing behind.)  
  
Me: Ahhh! Enjoy the next chapter!!!. (Being dragged away by Hiei.) --  
  
Kiru's scream echoes throughout the room as Hiei jerks himself up in bed.  
  
'Hiei!' both Mukuro and Kurama exclaim in happiness at his awakening.  
  
Kiru has collapsed onto her knees and has her arms wrapped around her chest. Yusuke sees blood start to drip onto the floor beneath her. 'What the hell!?' Hiei jumps to her side, ignoring his own wound, and grabs her shoulders.  
  
What is going on? I thought the shrimp was the one who was hurt. Kuwabara thinks as he watches the scene unfold before him in shock.  
  
'Stop!' Hiei yells, shaking her, his Jagan still open, 'You're killing yourself.' By now, the cloth that Kiru placed over his wound has fallen off, revealing that it is rapidly disappearing. 'STOP!'  
  
Kiru looks up, pain apparent in both her delicate features and her now weak and shaky voice. 'I-I can't.' she stammers, coughing slightly, a thin trail of blood running down her chin, 'I-I'm not.strong enough.to break it.H- hiei.' She winces as a short round of coughs racks her slight, battered form.  
  
Mukuro looks in shock at the amount of emotion showing on Hiei's panicked face. Could he.possibly.love her? NO. I can't believe that. She is just his friend. His partner. Yet still. She sighs as she sees him cradle Kiru in his arms as if she were a child, trying to staunch the blood with his hand, a part of her wishing she were the one in his arms.  
  
'Hiei.g-gomen,' she whispers, lifting her hand to caress his cheek, smiling weakly, 'I-I broke.your promise.Ai.shiteru.' her eyes drift closed, 'k- koi.' She can manage no more and lapses into unconsciousness in his arms, moaning weakly in pain, her Jagan still glowing, sapping what little strength that remains in her greatly weakened body.  
  
'No.' Hiei whispers, bowing his head, holding her tightly to him, 'Kiru.' He watches as her blood begins to pool around them.  
  
Kuwabara senses Kiru's energy drop drastically as Hiei's recovers. 'Hiei,' he says sympathetically, drawing Hiei's gaze, 'she's fading fast.' He looks away from Hiei's pained gaze, 'I can barely sense her energy.' Hiei looks towards Kiru as she gasps weakly in pain.  
  
Yukina watches in horror as Kiru slumps even further into her brother's arms. 'Oniisan,' she asks, 'what is happening to Kiru-san?' I have a bad feeling about this.  
  
Hiei looks up at his sister, 'She's killing herself, that's what.' He looks back down at Kiru. 'This ritual involves exploiting the connection between two people via the Jagan and absorbing the wounds into the casters body.' He frowns as he looks back to Yukina. 'In other words, if she completes the spell, it's will be as if she was the one who was hurt and if I was the one unharmed.' K'so. I promised myself this would never happen.  
  
Yukina gasps, knowing that because of Kiru's smaller physique that the blood loss from a wound of that extent would be even more fatal than it was to Hiei. 'No.' tears gems slowly litter the ground around her, 'isn't there anyway to stop the transfer?' Any more and she'll never survive.  
  
He grits his teeth in anger. 'Not unless if I can break the connection between us.' He closes his eyes to search for the strand of energy he knows is connecting them together. He has almost found it when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up to see Kurama. 'Nanda? Can't it wait until after I deal with this?' he snaps angrily at his best friend, fury and panic darkening his crimson eyes.  
  
'I promised her,' Kurama sadly says, seeing the panicked look in Hiei's eyes, 'that I wouldn't let anyone stop her.' He bows his head. 'Not for anything.' He shakes his head, 'I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to interfere.' And I can't let her interfere, and take you away from me. Sorry Kiru, and thanks for bringing him back, but kitsunes always get what they want. And I want Hiei. The youko part of him forces him to act as such.  
  
'Who cares!?' Yusuke yells, frustrated at the stupidity of the whole situation. He stalks up to Kurama and grabs a fistful of his shirt. 'You let Hiei do what he has to, to save her.' He looks Kurama straight in his shocked eyes, sensing the pull of the youko in him. 'We may have just met her, but it is certain that she means well. She saved his life, for Pete's sake!' He sets Kurama down as he sees the realization of Kiru's and the youko's actions break through his clouded mind.  
  
'Yusuke,' Hiei says, grateful for his intervention. He looks at his friends.  
  
Kurama nods at Hiei and steps back. 'Good luck,' he wishes, 'I won't interfere any longer.' You win, Kiru-You better come back and make him happy. Mukuro comes forward to smile at her heir and hold Kurama's hand. 'Go get her, tiger.' I just want you to be happy. So get your lover and be happy- even if it's without me.  
  
Yusuke steps forward and punches his shoulder lightly, 'Gee Hiei, I didn't know you were such a stud,' he grins at Hiei, support and confidence in his eyes, 'go get 'er, buddy. We're all behind you, but you gotta' believe in yourself to do it.' You can do it! I just know it.  
  
'Yeah, shrimp,' Kuwabara says, coming forward to reassure the still tearing Yukina. 'You'd better get your ass in action.' He frowns, becoming serious, looking at Kiru sadly, 'She won't last much longer.' And the last thing we need is to have an angry Hiei on the loose.  
  
'Yes,' Yukina says, speaking through her tears, 'save Kiru-san.' She looks at Kiru, seeing the uneven and shallow breaths she is taking. 'I'll help all I can once you break that connection.' Oniisan.  
  
'Thank you,' Hiei says, marveling at the amount of support he was receiving. He turns his attention back to Kiru, determination coloring his features. Hang on Kiru. I'll save you. No matter what it takes. --  
  
Me: That is the end of the next exciting installment of 'Friends.' Please continue to read and review. Thank you to those who have in the past.  
  
Hiei: Oh Kiru, please don't die. I'll save you. (sobbing)  
  
Me: Oh shut up! Do you want to keep ruining it for the fans?  
  
Hiei: Oh sorry. Forget what I just said.  
  
Me: Now, how about letting me out of this tower, huh? (Trapped in a Rapunzel like tower.)  
  
Hiei: NEVER!!! 


	6. Friends Chapter 6: Revealing the Past

Friends-Chapter 6  
  
Me: Still stuck inside the tower. Have been for two days now. Hopefully Hiei will kill enough fan guys so that they reach the window soon. (glancing down out the window) He's about halfway there now.  
  
Hiei: Die!!! Fan guys must DIE!! (Killing fan guys that are climbing over their dead comrades)  
  
Me: Make that three-quarters of the way. HIEI!  
  
Hiei: Yes, Koiboto? (jumps into the room)  
  
Me: (Blushing) Shh! Just read the stuff!  
  
Hiei: (Smug smile at jealous fan guys) OH.sorry. Ok. standard disclaimers apply. Last chapter, I woke up and Kiru absorbed the brunt of my wound. Kiru, after realizing she wasn't strong enough to break the connection of the spell, but unable to face the whole wound without dying, fell unconscious in my arms..(puppy sad eyes) Poor Koi.(composes himself) After some conflict, and a little violence, I got the good wishes of my friends and got ready to try and break the connection. Now I must save her!  
  
Me: Good boy, now go kill some fan guys for me.  
  
Hiei: (deranged grin) Yes, Koi. (continues killing fan guys) --  
  
Hiei closes his eyes and concentrates on finding the energy link between his and Kiru's souls. He searches for what seems like forever before he finally senses the link. He smiles as he locates the energy thread. Found it! He pauses for a moment and looks at it- strong and thick on his side, slowly thinning out and fraying as it goes near Kiru, where the bond looks almost ready to break, indicating her weakening youki. Kiru.Hang on, I'm coming.  
  
Then he remembers his main problem- how to break the bond. K'so.I don't remember! He thinks for a moment. Maybe Kiru remembers.but- she's out. He mentally sighs. I have no choice, forgive me for not asking first- but I have to search your mind. He braces himself for the always-tumultuous trip into Kiru's memories. Shit, even unconscious, your mind is a death trap. I'd hate to see what would happen to someone who invaded your mind when you're in peak condition.  
  
He finds the memory in question buried in a well-guarded section of her mind. He explores the memory, but finds something odd. Another memory linked to this one? But this was the day she was captured. He decided to investigate. -- flashback--  
  
My god. Hiei thinks to himself as he looks at both Kiru and himself. We were so young. He was in his same black sweatpants, but was wearing a yellow- and I mean YELLOW- tank top. His cloak was still there, but both his scarf and his bandanna were yellow, too. Guess that I have changed just as much as Kiru. He looked at her, smiling sadly at her. She looks so young. Her hair was long and in a high ponytail. She was also wearing bright colors- a bright green turtle necked, sleeveless tunic and bandanna, along with black pants as usual. Both of them wore smiles- small ones- but smiles nonetheless. Time hadn't corrupted them too badly yet, he figured. Too bad those happy days didn't last. --  
  
It is a familiar sight to them- the small dojo where they were mastering their jaganist techniques. It seemed like it would be a normal day. They had just finished learning the healing technique that was only to be used in an emergency, and were comparing their telekinesis.  
  
'Now kids,' the sensei says, 'Remember that you must materialize your weapon to break the thread in the middle, should it become necessary.'  
  
'Yes, sensei,' they replied, retying their bandannas.  
  
'Good,' sensei says, returning to the dojo to meditate and then to prepare dinner, 'now practice your telekinesis until dinner is ready.'  
  
'Okay,' they had said, and got out the plates that they used to practice floating objects with their telekinetic powers.  
  
'Dammit, Kiru!' Hiei shouts as his plate drops on the ground and shatters, 'Why do you always beat me at this telekinesis crap?' He watches as she opens her eyes and looks at him, mischief in her eyes.  
  
'I gotta be better than you at something,' she says simply, rolling her eyes and lowering her arms, bringing down the plate, making it float just above Hiei's head, 'You beat me at almost everything else.' She smiles before moving the plate to float near where his was before it fell, then drops it, also shattering hers. 'There- happy now?' she teases, looking over her bare shoulder.  
  
'No,' he growls, blurring over to her and pinning her against a nearby tree, his hands trapping her wrists against the tree, 'I'll show you what will make me happy.' He lowers his head and kisses her- teasing her by running his tongue over the outside of her fangs before delving inside. Kiru playfully nips his tongue before running her own over his fangs. He breaks the kiss, and steps back, keeping her wrists pinned, before raking his eyes over her extremely pleasing form. He gives her a rakish grin. 'Shall we,' he says, sending a picture of the nearby cave that was their.'den,' for lack of a better word. 'We have time before dinner,' he says, kissing his way down her throat, where he pulls away her tunic and bites her throat, piercing her skin slightly with his fangs and tasting her sweet blood.  
  
'Now, Hiei,' she chides, pulling away and looking in his eyes, 'we should at least stay home tonight.' She drops her gaze, frowning sadly, 'It is our last night, after all.'  
  
Hiei releases her arms and pulls her into his warm embrace. 'Don't you worry,' he says as she wraps her arms around his neck and rests her head on his shoulder, 'We'll be together no matter what.' She smiles and kisses him softly, drowning her worries in his loving arms.  
  
'By the way,' he says, pulling her away to the bench near the entrance to their room, 'I have something for you.' He sits her down on the bench, where she brings up her legs and rests her arms on them. She watches as he rummages in his pocket in search for it, and rests her head on her arms. He was still searching for it when she had heard a sound towards the front of the building.  
  
Unbeknownst to them, the nightmare had begun. --  
  
Before he could find his present to her, those bastards has showed up and killed their sensei- also ruining what was supposed to have been the most romantic moment of his entire life. They had barely been able to escape before the dojo that had been their home for the past nine months had exploded. Even then, running at top speed, Kiru had been caught and he thought he had lost her- that was until he had sensed her energy slowly approaching Mukuro's territory a few months ago, let alone seen her since then. --  
  
'Ahh!' Kiru cried out as one of the chain balls wrapped around her ankles, tripping her. She hit the ground with a thud.  
  
'Kiru!' Hiei called to her, stopping and turning around in time to see Kiru being caught and held by one of the thugs that had been sent to kill them.  
  
'Run!' she called back, 'Please!' She was dragged off. 'Run, I promise we'll meet again!'  
  
'Kiru.' Damn it! Why now? He thinks, fingering his gift.  
  
'Go!' she cried out, her voice desperate.  
  
'Promise me- we'll meet again so I can give you my present.'  
  
'I promise,' she says smiling at him before elbowing one of her captors.  
  
'I love you.' He said as he began to run.  
  
'And I you.' The last words he had heard from her. --  
  
Now, he thought, suppressing his anger over the past, here was something new. The memory was of what had happened to her after she had been caught. I always wondered how she survived. --  
  
Kiru slammed against the wall, sent flying by a punch to her already bruised cheek. She raised her head and bared her fangs, still defiant even though she had been badly beaten over the past few hours.  
  
'Still won't tell us who your little partner is, bitch?' one of the captors sneered at her, snapping his whip, knowing full well that she wouldn't tell, and anticipating the pleasure that he would get from beating her- again.  
  
'No,' she growled back, 'I'll never tell.' Please be safe and don't come after me- Hiei.  
  
'Good,' he smiled evilly, gazing at the skin bared by his whip just a few minutes ago. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and threw her against a low stone table in the middle of the room and drew back his whip, only to be rewarded with a fireball into his gut.  
  
'Care for some more of that,' Kiru sneered at him, blowing smoke off of her hand.  
  
'You BITCH!' he shouted backhanding her and knocking her against a table. He grabbed her again and punched her over and over again, stopping only when she was unconscious. 'Prepare to suffer.' --  
  
Hiei growled as he watched the scene blacked out before him. Why didn't I follow her? He watched as she regained consciousness once more. --  
  
Kiru awoke with a terrible headache, probably due to the beating she had sustained before she blacked out. She tried to raise her hand to her head but found that her arms were pinned to the table and the rest of her body was pinned to a chair next to the table. Upon trying to break them, she found that the fastenings were made of wards that cut off her power. She growled in frustration, thinking she was alone.  
  
'Ahh.The slut is awake,' the captor sneered, taking a small dagger out of a sheath on his hip. He shoved it into a small coal pit that Kiru could sense was very hot. 'And just in time for the 'festivities,' he said, his smile betraying some evil plan of torture in retort for his earlier flaming.  
  
Three more guards had come into the room by this time and had also shoved their blades into the coals. 'This is that one human culture's torture technique,' one of them said.  
  
'Yeah,' said another, 'they take the blade and heat it, then they ask questions.'  
  
'Hah,' the last one said, 'and then, when they don't answer, they cut them with the blade and it instantly cauterizes.' They all cackled with glee. 'This one'll have tons of wounds by the time we're done!'  
  
Kiru had heard enough by that time and spat at the guards, who were about three feet away. The main captor- the one who had hit her earlier- slapped her again, causing her head to whip to the side, and a thin trail of blood to run down her chin. They all laughed again and sat down out of earshot to watch her torture.  
  
The guard grabbed one of the now glowing blades from the coals. 'Now then,' he said, grabbing her hair and pulling back her head, 'who's your partner?'  
  
She said nothing.  
  
'You're choice,' he smiled, grabbed the blade with one hand, and her arm with another, and sliced her skin. --  
  
Hiei gasped as he watched her put up with the torture silently. He felt sick as he watched the guards take turns slashing her delicate skin over and over again. They continued, laughing maniacally with every slash. She still said nothing. Her only reaction was to get even more defiant. His anger kept rising as he watched the memory's end.  
  
--  
  
'Damn it,' the guard said, dropping his blade onto the ground, 'she just won't talk.'  
  
'Yeah,' the other said, 'and she won't even gasp in pain.'  
  
'Besides,' the third wined, 'we're out of room.' He looked at Kiru's arms, which were now covered with cauterized slashes in close intervals. Kiru still sat stoically in her chair, her face emotionless, with bored eyes. I haven't failed you- Hiei.  
  
'Might as well just toss her into the snow,' the leader said, disgusted with her lack of reaction. 'She may not flinch in pain, but she will freeze before she reaches the edge of the tundra.'  
  
She closed her eyes. I'm sorry Hiei.I broke my promise.forgive me. A single tear fell from her eyes and hit the floor as a pile of ashes. --  
  
Hiei watched, pain clenching his heart as he watched her get tossed into the middle of the largest frozen tundra in the Makai. Kiru.Why? She continued to stoically endure her punishment until the guards left her in the middle of the tundra. The memory continued but he couldn't endure any more of it- it didn't matter that he knew she had survived- he broke the connection he had with her memory and returned to the link, rage and sorrow flooding his system.  
  
He summoned up his sword and prepared to slash it, his rage causing the blade to be taken up by his dragon's flames. He could feel the Black Dragon's rage over the memory as it roared in agreement of Hiei's newest plan.  
  
'I'll avenge your pain, Kiru,' he vowed as he raised his sword, 'I swear it.' He brought the sword down onto the cord and slashed it in half in one blow, breaking the connection that was sapping her life away. --  
  
Hiei: Must kill captors!  
  
Me: (climbing over the now window high pile of dead fan guys) So much for the fan guys. Well I hope you enjoyed this painful journey into Kiru's past. Please review. Your comments are greatly appreciated. I want to know what you want to see, so think up some good suggestions. The best ones will be integrated into the next, and unfortunately last, few chapters. So start thinking of what you want to see after this story is done!  
  
Hiei: Kiru! Come on! I have to kill those guys. (He grabs her and hugs her to him) Don't worry- I'll never let any one touch you again! (He glares at the fan guys, who back away in terror)  
  
Me: Tune in for more soon! Hope you enjoyed! Bye! CU later! 


	7. Friends Chapter 7: Resolution

Friends- Chapter 7  
  
Me: (Still being held tightly by Hiei) Uhh.Hiei.I- can't- breathe..  
  
Hiei: OH! (letting go) Gomen.  
  
Me: That's. okay. J-just read. the stuff while I.. get my.. breath back.  
  
Hiei: Okay! (Glares at fan guys who are starting to approach again) Last chapter I entered Kiru's mind to try and find the energy connection, but unfortunately, I.ummm.forgot how to break it. So I had to venture into Kiru's death-trap of a mind to find out how. When I did, however, I found another memory linked to that one- one of the torture she went through to protect me from being found and killed. Must- kill- captors. AND FAN GUYS!!!! (Goes after the fan guys. again.)  
  
Me: (finally caught breath) OOOOO-kaaaaay... Standard disclaimers as usual. Enjoy! (Looks at Hiei who is happily burning up fan guys.) I'd better stop him.  
  
Hiei: HA HA HA! BURN! NO ONE SHALL TOUCH MY KIRU AND GET AWAY WITH IT! NO ONE! HA HA HA! (Takes out Kiru doll again) MINE!! (runs around with it and kills more fan guys)  
  
Me: Eh! I'll do it later.  
  
--  
  
-A half hour after the connection was broken-  
  
The room is silent. All eyes are on the figures in and around the bed in the room.  
  
After Hiei had cut the energy thread, the Jagans had finally closed and Kiru had fallen into a deep sleep. Since then, Yukina had been concentrating on healing the serious injuries caused by the transfer that had been inflicted on Kiru. Hiei's wound had all but healed-all it was now, was a shallow gash that required little more than a bandaid to heal. But Kiru wasn't so lucky.  
  
Kurama looks at his best friend- a deep frown is creasing his brow as he watches his sister heal Kiru's injuries. Kurama had noticed that after he had broken the link, a new burning anger was in Hiei's eyes. He wondered what had caused Hiei so much anger in that short time.  
  
Yusuke and Kuwabara had gone to alert a very confused Koenma of the situation a little over ten minutes ago, and Mukuro was sitting next to him on the desk. She seemed to be deeply affected by the events of the past few hours. But he didn't think you could get more scrambled than he was. I lost Hiei to this Kiru- but I don't mind. He looked at Mukuro again. Is it because of her?  
  
Let's see.Mukuro thinks as she tried to gather her senses, In the past few hours I've almost lost Hiei to a wound that he wouldn't have gotten if I was more considerate of his feelings, been out-classed by a mystery woman- not to mention by Hiei yesterday, and then lost Hiei to her- well lost his love at least. She looked up at Kurama, who seemed to be just as scrambled as she was. But why don't I mind so much.? 'Kurama?' she quietly asks. Is it because of him?  
  
'Hmm?' he answers, startled out of a thought, 'What is it Mukuro?'  
  
'May I- umm,' she stammers, 'speak to you, outside?'  
  
'Uhh, sure Mukuro,' he gets up and turns to Hiei, 'Hiei, we're stepping out for a little, okay?'  
  
'Hn,' comes the usual response from the brooding fire demon. Hiei didn't take his eyes off Kiru as he suggested that they turn in for the night. 'It's late. Get some rest.'  
  
Kurama nods and leads Mukuro out and to her room.  
  
'Thank you,' Mukuro says as she opens the door to her room. 'Care to come in?' I'm so nervous.I've never felt like this before. Is this what love really is?  
  
Kurama nods and follows her. 'So,' he began, 'what do you want to talk about?' He thought that he knew, but he wanted to make sure. I'm so nervous. What is wrong with me?  
  
Mukuro looks at her feet. 'Umm.' she started, 'I don't know how to say this but.'  
  
Kurama walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. 'I love you,' he finished for her. Mukuro looks up and nods. They come closer together and kiss.  
  
Finally, an end to the loneliness.  
  
--  
  
Yukina stood up and looked directly at her worried brother.  
  
'How is she Yukina?' he asks quietly, but I could hear the concern in his voice. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her since he had broken off the energy link between them. His gaze kept falling to the scars on her arms, igniting a fiery rage in his eyes. What did he see in her mind that bothered him so much?  
  
'She'll be okay, Oniisan,' Yukina assures him, coming forward to hug him, 'I was so scared that I would lose you.' Yukina releases him and walks back over to the bed, brushing loose strands of hair off of Kiru's brow. She shifts in her sleep and sighs. 'I owe her more than I can say.' She smiles as she feels a hand touch her shoulder. It's so nice to finally know that Hiei will be loved as much as he deserves.  
  
'Arigato,' Hiei says, 'Imouto-chan.' He pulls Yukina up and hugs her.  
  
'Nan demo nai, Onii-chan,' she says, happy tears falling from her eyes to the floor as brilliant tear gems, 'nan demo nai.'  
  
--  
  
'WHAAAT?' Koenma says, his pacifier dropping out of his mouth.  
  
'Hiei has a girlfriend? AND she's hot?' Botan asks, equally shocked.  
  
'Yes,' Yusuke says, irritated that neither Koenma nor Botan is listening to him, 'but more importantly, I wanted to tell you that everyone is going to be all right.'  
  
'It's no use, Yusuke,' Kuwabara says, also irritated, 'they just don't care about anything other than the fact that the shrimp has a girlfriend.'  
  
'But I must say,' Yusuke says, grinning lewdly, 'she is hot.'  
  
*Don't even think about it, Detective.* Yusuke receives a mental message from a very pissed off Hiei.  
  
'Yusuke!' Kuwabara says, 'I'm telling Keiko.' He runs past the still shocked Koenma and Botan to the nearest portal to the Ningenkai.  
  
'Oi!' Yusuke says, panicking and chasing after him, 'wait for me!!!!'  
  
Oh great, another slap to add to my collection! --  
  
'Yukina-chan,' Hiei says sometime later that night, 'Can I tell you something?'  
  
Yukina looks at her twin, who is sitting in the window. He looks so sad and angry at life at that moment. 'What is it Onii-chan?' she asks concerned, 'What is wrong?'  
  
Hiei walks over to the bed and pushes the sleeve of Kiru's borrowed, over- large shirt up, exposing the scarred forearm. 'Do you see these scars?' he asks quietly, sadly, his crimson eyes burning with a sad rage.  
  
'H-hai, but,' she says, remembering her initial reaction to them, 'I can't imagine how she got them.'  
  
'She got these because of me.'  
  
Yukina gasps and says, 'No Hiei, you didn't-,' He did this to her!?  
  
'NO!' he says, startling her a little. He calms down and pushes down the sleeve of Kiru's shirt. He looks at her face and smiles a little. 'Let me start at the beginning.'  
  
--  
  
'Just after I got my Jagan,' Hiei starts, sitting on one of the two chairs he had brought into the room, 'I went to a dojo where I learned to master the Jaganic powers.'  
  
Yukina, sitting opposite him on the other side of the bed, tilts her head in question. 'Learned?'  
  
Hiei nodded. 'Yes,' he smiles at her, 'It's just like learning any other technique- like the Jao Ensatsu techniques.' He continues, 'Anyway, upon my arrival there, I saw Kiru. She was trying to levitate one of the small plates that we practiced with.' He chuckles softly. 'Unfortunately, she wasn't too good at telekinesis at that time and she dropped the plate- right on my head.'  
  
Yukina stifles a laugh. 'Oh Oniisan,' she says, 'You poor thing.'  
  
'Yeah,' Hiei says, 'that's what I thought.' He looks affectionately at Kiru, 'But luckily, she's gotten a lot better. That was how we met. We were fast friends after that.'  
  
'That's so nice, Oniisan.'  
  
'It was sort of a given, considering that we shared everything. We shared the good times- like the parties- and the bad- like when we made sensei mad.' Hiei looks up at the ceiling, 'We couldn't sit for a week.' Hiei shakes his head, 'Good times, those were.'  
  
'We'll have a lot more, Oniisan,' Yukina assures him, 'I promise.'  
  
Hiei smiles at her. 'Arigato, Imouto-chan.'  
  
Yukina nods and says, 'Please continue.'  
  
'Well, everything was pretty uneventful for a while- not counting our relationship, that is. We quickly progressed from friendship to love. In fact, I was going to ask her to marry me on the last day of our training.' He takes something out of his pocket to show Yukina.  
  
It is a small box. He hands it to her, and she opens it to find a ring made of one of his black tear gems. 'It's beautiful.'  
  
Hiei gazes at his lover, 'She was so excited. We were going to start to plot our takeover of the Ningenkai.' Hiei's face loses its nostalgic look at this point and it turns into a dark look of pain, sadness, and anger.  
  
Yukina is startled at this sudden change and reaches her hand up to the black tear gem on her necklace. 'Oniisan.'  
  
'We had just completed the final technique,' he continues, now sounding ominous, 'this healing technique. We were about to go in for a small farewell dinner when we heard a sound from the front of the dojo. It was a group of demons who were bent on killing all the jaganshis in the Makai. We barely escaped before the dojo exploded, killing our sensei and destroying what had been our home for the past nine months.' Hiei gets up and walks to the window, becoming silent.  
  
Yukina walks over to him. 'Oniisan,' she tells him softly, putting a hand on his shoulder, 'It's alright- you can tell me what happened.'  
  
She feels Hiei sigh. 'She was caught by one of their chain balls. She told me to run and promised we'd meet again.' He looks out the window at the full moon. 'She was captured and taken to a prison in the middle of a tundra.' He clenches his now smoking fists. 'She was tortured there because she wouldn't tell them who I was. Those bastards beat her and whipped her, but when she still wouldn't talk, they strapped her into a chair with her arms trapped on a table and cut her arms with a hot dagger for every question she wouldn't answer.'  
  
Yukina gasps, tears in her eyes, 'That's why they look like burns.' Tears drip on the floor. 'They were instantly cauterized. How terrible.'  
  
'I just learned that today,' Hiei says angrily, 'Damn it, I didn't even know if she survived until just a few months ago. I could have done something, maybe saved her from that pain.'  
  
'Hiei.'a weak voice calls. Hiei and Yukina look towards the source of the voice, shocked to see Kiru looking at them from the bed. 'You don't need to feel bad. It wasn't your fault,' she says, trying to sit up.  
  
Yukina and Hiei rush over, helping her to sit up and propping her up on the pillows. 'Kiru-san, you shouldn't be up yet.' Yukina scolds her softly.  
  
'Oh,' Kiru says dismissivly, 'I'll be fine, I'm tough.' She looks to her lover. 'Koi,' she says softly, patting the space on the bed next to her invitingly.  
  
Hiei sits down next to her and looks into her eyes, 'How are you, Kiru- chan?' He reaches out to hold her hand.  
  
She smiles and says, 'I'll be fine, Hiei-chan, don't worry.' She looks over towards Yukina. 'Yukina-chan,' she complements, 'you are very talented. Arigato, and please- don't call me "Kiru-san," she sniffs indignantly, 'makes me feel old.'  
  
'Nan demo nai,' Yukina responds easily, 'Kiru-chan.'  
  
A smile lights every face in the room, a new and strong bond has been formed.  
  
Finally, a happy ending.  
  
--  
  
Hiei: (Holding Kiru doll and a Yukina doll) Must kill fan guys. Must protect sister and koi! (continuing to burn up fan guys)  
  
Me: Umm. is it just me or is he getting worse? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I continue to welcome and appreciate your reviews. Uh oh.(sees a tall, red-headed fan guy covered in Kuwabara stuff) this is bad.  
  
Hiei: (sees fan guy) KUWABARA! I WILL KILL YOU FOR PERSUING MY SISTER! AND FOR TRYING TO CHEAT ON HER BY PERSUING MY KOIBOTO! AND FOR PERSUING MY KOIBOTO! DIE!!! JAO ENSATSU KEN!  
  
Fan guy: AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (running away)  
  
Hiei: COME BACK!!! ( runs after him, still carrying dolls) YOU MUST DIE!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Me: Tune in for more soon. (Turning to watch Hiei kill fan guy) I hope. ^-^; 


	8. Friends Chapter 8: Sealing the Promise

Friends Chapter 8  
  
Hiei: (Clutching chibi Kiru and Yukina dolls) Die! Fan guys, DIE!!!! (burns up mob of fan guys)  
  
Me: O.O (watches Hiei kill mobs and mobs of fan guys)  
  
Hiei: (Gets bored when they start to run away) Kiru?  
  
Me: Yes, Hiei? (looking at the retreating fan guys)  
  
Hiei: Can I read the stuff now? (Puts dolls in pocket)  
  
Me: Yeah. Here. (gives him a sheet of paper)  
  
Hiei: Standard disclaimers apply. Do they really think that anyone would want Kuwabara?  
  
Me: No, that's just there to protect you. (Evil smile)  
  
Hiei: Oh. Ok.  
  
Kuwabara: What!?  
  
Hiei: Must.Kill.Kuwabara.  
  
Kuwabara: AHHHH!!! (running away from Hiei, who just flits in front of him)  
  
Yukina: Hello, Hiei-san. (Appearing out of nowhere)  
  
Hiei: Yukina! (Forgetting the Fool) Would you like to read the rest of the stuff?  
  
Yukina: Sure! (Takes the paper) Last chapter was basically what happened after Hiei-san saved Kiru-san. I healed Kiru-san, Koenma and Botan were shocked, Yusuke and Kazuma were dumb, Kurama and Mukuro got together, and Kiru woke up! Now enjoy the next- and next-to-last- installment of friends.  
  
Kuwabara: (looking at the decapitated and burned fan guys) Hey, what happened to these guys?  
  
Hiei: They tried to persue Kiru.  
  
Me: He got a little carried away. (Kuwabara faints) Baka. Enjoy, while I figure out what to do with this moron. (smiles as an idea hits her) Oh Hiei..  
  
--  
  
~The next night.~  
  
Kiru pulls on her favorite black gloves and fixes the knot on her bandanna. She was still a little lethargic from the ritual yesterday- it took a massive amount of energy to perform- but thanks to Yukina, she was back on her feet a lot sooner than she thought she would be. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook it, noticing it needed to be brushed.  
  
She paced to the vanity and sits down for a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She closed her eyes and sighed after seeing the familiar pale face and crimson eyes, her own reflection reminding her of Hiei. So much has happened since then. She thinks, remembering the past, I hope I'm still.acceptable to Hiei.  
  
A knock then sounds on the door and she turns around to see Yukina poking her head into the room. 'How are you feeling today,' she softly asks, 'Kiru?'  
  
'I'm fine, thank you,' Kiru answers turning back around and picking up a brush, 'Please- come in.' Kiru looks down and closes her eyes again.  
  
Yukina comes in and takes the brush out of her hands. 'May I?' Yukina starts to brush her hair at her nod. 'Your hair reminds me of Oniisan's. So spiky, but softer than the finest silk.' Kiru is silent, but has tensed up at the mention of Hiei. 'Ah,' Yukina says, having figured out what is wrong, 'you are worried about if Oniisan will still like you, ne?'  
  
Kiru nods. 'It's been so long, and now he has all of you.' She shakes her head and opens her eyes, looking straight into Yukina's eyes. 'He probably doesn't need me anymore.' Kiru's hand reaches up involuntarily to clutch a necklace at her throat as she lowers her piercing gaze.  
  
Yukina notices this, 'What's that?'  
  
Kiru releases the necklace and Yukina takes it into her hands. It is a necklace of a black phoenix in some kind of black stone. Realizaton dawned on her and she whispered, 'Oniisan's tears.' She released the necklace and looked up into Kiru's sad eyes. 'Kiru, I can promise you right now, you have nothing to worry about.'  
  
'Really.?' Kiru looked into her eyes again. Yukina nods and takes her hands into her own. Kiru smiles, 'Okay.'  
  
'Kiru,' Yukina says, pulling her up and out of the chair, 'Ikuzo.'  
  
'Hai, and Yukina?' Kiru asks.  
  
'Nani?'  
  
'Thank you.'  
  
--  
  
Hiei sits in his favorite place, up a tree in his private courtyard, looking up at the full moon in the starry sky, thinking about what had happened in the last few days. Kiru.  
  
He remembers how panicked he had been when he awoke to see his lover hunched over in pain in a pool of her own blood. He also remembered the anger that had flooded both him and his dragon when he had learned of her scars and their origins. He clenched his fists as he retook his vow to kill those demons that had tortured her. I will avenge your pain Kiru. I swear it.  
  
Hiei then smiled as he remembered the good times he had shared with her in the past. He remembered the day he confided to her of his sister and his origins. He had been so scared that she would reject him- that had also been the day they first expressed their love for each other. He chuckled lightly in fond remembrance of what their sensei had made them do when he had discovered them- naked and sweaty- in what would become their secret hide-away. Hiei had thought that they would never get finished scrubbing the dojo.  
  
Next he remembered the day that he had hurt her by accident during one of their sparring matches. Kiru had slipped and was unable to block a slash to her abdomen. He had watched in horror as she had collapsed from blood loss on the bloody floor of the dojo. She had gotten a fever and was unconscious for three days- even sensei had worried about whether she had pulled through or not. He had been so relieved when she had woken up that he had kissed her- not caring that he had an audience. He had received quite a lump on his head because of that.  
  
He continued to remember the good and the bad for a while longer, but then he returned to the present and thought about what he would do next.  
  
Will she still accept me? What if she hates me after this? He fingers his gift to her that still resides in his pocket before slipping a hand up to grasp the necklace that she had given him so long ago.  
  
It was a black dragon, made out of her blood. When she wanted to, she could force her blood to solidify into a black stone similar to his tear gem. Then, by manipulating fire, she could sculpt it into whatever she desired. They had exchanged necklaces that they had made for each other on their six- month anniversary. He starts to smile but then he hears leaves rustling on the ground, indicating that someone was coming.  
  
'Hiei?' a familiar voice asks.  
  
'Kiru?' Hiei jumps down to see his former koi standing in front of him. 'You shouldn't be out here, you're not fully recovered yet!' He looks at her and sees a strange sadness in her eyes. 'Kiru, what's wrong? Is your wound paining you?'  
  
She shakes her head, biting her lip and drawing blood, a single bloodstone falling to the ground. Hiei looks at her reproach in his eyes, disapproving of her actions. 'Kiru.' he says reproachfully.  
  
Kiru looks down, 'Hiei, I-I love you, but.do you still- love me?' Kiru feels Hiei come closer and pull her to his chest. She wraps her arms around his neck and buries her face into his shoulder, sobbing just a little.  
  
'Kiru-chan,' Hiei softly scolds her, 'what a silly question to ask. You are my everything.' He grabs her chin and tilts her face up, kissing away her tears. He captures her lips and they share a passionate kiss, trying to express all of the emotions they felt for each other in that one kiss.  
  
Hiei pulled away, causing a soft sound of complaint to issue from Kiru's throat. He knelt down in front of her and pulled something out of his pocket. 'Remember your promise to me all those years ago?' he asks her, pulling her left hand into his own.  
  
'You mean when we promised we would meet again, so you could give me your gift?' she asks, slightly confused at his change in thought. At his nod, she answered, 'Yes, of course. But what.?'  
  
'Well,' he says softly, sliding a ring onto her ring finger, 'here it is.' Kiru's mouth falls softly as she looks in shock at his gift. 'Will you make me the happiest creature in all of the three worlds and marry me?'  
  
Kiru slowly drops to her knees next to him and throws herself into his arms, happy tears building in her disbelieving eyes. 'Hiei.'  
  
Hiei tightly hugs her to him and buries his head into his fiancée's hair, a small, truly happy smile on his face. 'Ai shiteru, Kiru, ai shiteru zutto.'  
  
--  
  
Kuwabara: No way! The shrimp is getting married! That sucks!  
  
Hiei: Excuse me? (Fingering his katana)  
  
Me: Kill him. (says to Hiei)  
  
Yukina: No fair, it's my turn.  
  
Kuwabara: Yukina? Not you too!  
  
Me: Okay, why don't you both kill him  
  
, it's my turn.  
  
Kuwabara: Yukina? Not you too!  
  
Me: Okay, why don't you both kill him  
  
Yukina and Hiei: Yeah! (they kill Kuwabara. Yukina freezes him and then Hiei slices him into pieces using his katana.)  
  
Me: Good job. (kicking the frozen, sliced up pieces of Kuwabara) Tune in soon for the epilogue. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. See you soon. Please review.  
  
Hiei: If you liked this, then read 'Lifting the Darkness.' See you next chapter.  
  
Yukina: Can we get some sweet snow.?  
  
Hiei: SWEET SNOW!!!!  
  
Yukina: SWEET SNOW!!!!  
  
Me: SWEET SNOW!!!! 


	9. Friends: The Epilogue

Friends- The Epilouge  
  
Me: As all great things must come to an end, so must Friends. (In a fancy black dress)  
  
Fan guys: WAAAAH! NOOOO!!! Kiru is getting married!  
  
Hiei: I'm so happy. (Evil smile) But sad that Friends is over. (also in fancy clothes)  
  
Me: Don't worry. I'm working on the next story in the series.  
  
Everyone: Yeah!  
  
Me: Please enjoy the non-angst epilogue of Friends. Hiei? (hands him final summary. It is all fancy and in an envelope.)  
  
Hiei: Yes, konyakusha. (Opens the envelope) In the last chapter, Kiru and I wondered about the feelings that the other had for us. Both of us wondered if the love was still there. Then, after being cheered up, Kiru confronts me and then we kiss. After that, we seal a long ago promise and I give her my gift- an engagement ring- and we get engaged.  
  
Fan guys- NOOOOOO!!!  
  
Hiei: YEEEESSSS!!! Mwahahaha! (Stops laughing) By the way, standard disclaimers on all but Kiru- (evil smile) who really is MINE!  
  
--  
  
From the doorway, Botan, Yukina, Kurama and Mukuro watch in silence, tears of happiness in their eyes.  
  
'Oh,' Botan says, tears falling down her cheeks, 'I just love happy endings!'  
  
'But this is only the beginning,' Kurama says, gazing at his own new love, 'the beginning of a happy future.'  
  
'Yes,' Mukuro agrees, taking Kurama's hand, 'a new start for all of us.'  
  
Yukina gazes in happiness at her brother and sister-in-law. 'I'm so happy that Oniisan has someone to love.'  
  
--  
  
On the other side of the garden, Yusuke and Kuwabara watch and eager smiles grow on their faces.  
  
'Oi, Kuwabara,' Yusuke says, 'you know what this means.'  
  
'Yeah,' Kuwabara says, confused and unable to believe what he just saw, 'uh.wait- I mean no.'  
  
'BAKA!' Yusuke says, hitting him over the head. 'BACHELOR PARTY!'  
  
'Oh- YEAH!' Kuwabara says, 'But, did the shrimp just get engaged to that hot chick?'  
  
'Yes,' Hiei's dark voice sounds from the walkway, 'do you have a problem with that?' Hiei fingers his katana, glaring at him for calling his fiancée 'hot.' 'You really could have been quieter though, you two bakas interrupted a private moment.'  
  
Kuwabara pales and excuses himself, running for cover. Yusuke watches him run and laughs.  
  
'Oi, gomen, Hiei,' he says once he controls his laughter, 'congratulations, man!'  
  
'Thanks, Yusuke,' Hiei says, smiling, 'By the way, would you-be my best man?'  
  
'Hiei.' Yusuke says, humbled by the request. 'I'd be honored, Hiei.' The two friends smile at each other and hurry away to plan the bachelor party.  
  
--  
  
Back on the first side of the garden, Kiru has approached the people hiding in the doorway.  
  
'Congratulations, Kiru,' Kurama says, still holding Mukuro's hand.  
  
'Congratulations to you two, too,' Kiru returns, smiling at their shocked looks, 'I'm a telepath, remember?' She turns to Yukina, 'Yukina?'  
  
'Hai?'  
  
'Would you be my maiden of honor?'  
  
Kurama and Mukuro smile as they watch Yukina hug her sister-in-law as she says, 'Yes,' over and over again. Kiru seems unsure about this close gesture, but returns the hug anyway.  
  
Suddenly, Mukuro has an idea. 'Kiru,' she says, giggling like a school girl, 'let's have a double wedding!' Mukuro grabs Yukina and Kiru and they start to gab about the planning. Kurama chuckles and walks off to find Hiei.  
  
--  
  
The courtyard of the Reikai palace is decorated with all the splendors of the usual wedding. Hiei and Kiru and Kurama and Mukuro were getting married today in their double wedding. Kiru was wearing a light blue dress with black accents. It was strapless and fell to her ankles, but she wore a pair of long gloves in the same color as her dress to cover her arms. Hiei was wearing a black tux with a white shirt and a light blue tie.  
  
Mukuro choose to wear white and pink gown, with Kurama wearing a white tux with red accents. Yukina and Keiko, the maiden and matron of honor, were wearing yellow dresses, and Yusuke and Kuwabara were wearing matching dark blue tuxes. Koenma was the judge who was marrying them and Botan was the flower girl.  
  
The ceremony was beautiful. The wedding went without incident until the kiss, when well, let's just say that no one knew that anyone could kiss for that long and not suffocate.  
  
Yukina and Botan caught the bouquets, causing Botan to blush and Yukina to wonder why Kuwabara was grinning like a maniac. Shizuru, Atsuko, and Genkai watched as the wedding closed with a party- like reception.  
  
--  
  
Kiru and Hiei took the chance to escape once Kurama had put the lampshade on his head and Mukuro started to sing drunkenly. They went to their room to celebrate in their own way.  
  
Once they were in the room, Hiei pinned Kiru against the door and kissed her passionately, burying his hands in her soft locks. Kiru buried her hands in her hair as she opened her mouth to Hiei's advance. Hiei pulled away and stripped her arms of her gloves. He then skimmed the underside of her arms with his teeth before turning her arms over and kissing every inch of skin that was scarred.  
  
Hiei returned to her mouth with a vengance and kissed her with bruising force. They battle for control of the kiss, tongues sparring in a duel of love. Kiru busied her hands by toying with the hair at the nape of his neck. She moaned as Hiei then started to kiss down her bare throat. Hiei bit her neck at the junction of neck and shoulder causing a fervent moan to issue from her throat- an action that they had come to appreciate in the past. Kiru slipped her hands from his hair to encircle his neck loosely.  
  
He punctured her skin with his fangs, drawing blood, as she tilted her head back, still moaning. Hiei swirled his tongue over the small wound and then kissed down to where her dress started to cover her smooth skin.  
  
Tired of waiting, Hiei picked her up and walked over to the bed where he laid her down, then stepped back to look at her.  
  
Her eyes were half-shut and her pupils were dilated in pleasure. A faint blush crept up from her chest to her cheeks and her lips were parted and swollen from his kisses. Her hair was slightly disheveled from his earlier advance.  
  
Then Hiei's eyes trailed down to her covered body, seeing the curves beneath. He pounced on her and they lost themselves in their reunion.  
  
--  
  
Later, they lay entwined in the sheets, sweaty and sated. Hiei trails his hand down Kiru's bare side and pulls her closer to him, fixing the sheets so they cover them. Kiru cuddles into his arms and sighs, looking up into his eyes.  
  
'Hiei,' she breathes, running her hand over his chest, 'Ai shiteru.'  
  
'And I you, little one,' Hiei says, kissing his new wife, 'Ai shiteru, forever.'  
  
--  
  
The next morning Hiei and Kurama are drinking coffee in the kitchen when Yusuke and Kuwabara walk in.  
  
Hiei, reading the paper, looks up and gestures to the coffee pot, 'Coffee?'  
  
Kuwabara goes and gets two cups down before sitting down next to Yusuke by the table.  
  
Yusuke wraps his hands around his cup and takes a sip. 'Y'know,' he says, 'this is going to sound crazy now- but. I used to think that you two were gay.'  
  
Kuwabara, who was in the middle of drinking his coffee, stops and spits out his coffee in surprise, narrowly missing Kurama, 'What?'  
  
Hiei and Kuwabara look at Yusuke like he's crazy. Kurama picks up a newspaper and hides his blush behind it.  
  
'Gay?' Hiei shivers with disgust and snorts, 'maybe in your dreams, Detective.'  
  
'Really, Yusuke,' Kurama says, trying to hide his embarrassment behind his newspaper-remembering how he used to lust after Hiei, 'that's sick.' He coughs and takes a sip of his coffee.  
  
'Yeah,' Kuwabaka (I mean Kuwabara.cough, cough) says, 'even I knew that they weren't.'  
  
'I could have sworn.' Yusuke persists.  
  
'Yusuke, can't you see,' Hiei says, 'that were just.' He pauses searching for the right word. All four of them look at each other at the same time.  
  
'Friends.'  
  
--  
  
Owari.  
  
--  
  
Me: I hope you have enjoyed my simple attempt at fanfiction. Please give in your final comments and thoughts. Tune in for more in this series soon. In the mean time, expect some humorous ones.  
  
Hiei: You mean we're done? Already?  
  
Me: Yep, for a while at least.  
  
Hiei: Oh. Vacation?  
  
Me: Yep.  
  
Hiei: SWEET SNOW TIME!!!  
  
Me: See you soon! Bye!   
  
Hiei: SWEET- I mean- bye! (runs after the ice cream truck) WAIT FOR ME SWEET SNOW!!! 


End file.
